Gods do whatever

they like to do, they have all --


the time in the world.


De goden doen maarDie Götter machen
wat, want ze hebben alle --was sie wollen, sie haben --

tijd van de wereld.alle Zeit der Welt.

Poem S3227
Amsterdam, 2026-08-02
The Penelopiad (Margaret Atwood) - 2005
Novel, chapter 19, Yelp of Joy
Collection: VacantVoid
Tribute to: Atwood, Margaret 
 

I am quite bored, but

what is really so boring?


The world or myself?


Ik verveel me, maarMir ist langweilig.
wat is er nu zo saai, de --Woran liegt es, an der Welt --

wereld of ikzelf?oder an mir selbst?

Poem H6355
Amsterdam, 2026-07-11
A Caretaker (Simon Vestdijk) - 1967
Novel "Een huisbewaarder", chapter XV
Collection: Inmost [2]
Tribute to: Vestdijk, Simon 
 

What a boring day!

Nothing ever happens here --


except in my thoughts.


Wat een saaie dag!Langweiliger Tag!
Er gebeurt niets, behalve --Es passiert nichts, außer in --

in mijn gedachten.meinen Gedanken.

Poem H6165
Amsterdam, 2026-03-15
Out of the world (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 1998
Novel "Ute av verden" (translated in 2023), part 1, chapter 4
Collection: Leaving
Tribute to: Knausgård, Karl Ove 
 

Everything's normal,

as always, as if we are --


all sleepwalking here.


Alles is normaal,Alles ist normal,
zoals altijd, alsof we --wie immer, als ob wir im --

hier slaapwandelen.Schlaf wandeln würden.

Poem S3102
Amsterdam, 2026-03-15
Out of the world (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 1998
Novel "Ute av verden" (translated 2023), part 1, chapter 3
Collection: Leaving
Tribute to: Knausgård, Karl Ove 
 

Zywa Attention [2]

Receiving attention
As a child, feeling
That you are noticed

Having to take notice of that
And along with that
Taking notice of

How everything works
Between people
And the rest of the world

Otherwise, your brain will declare
The State of Boredom
Because you outgrow toys

And school isn't everything
You need attention
That helps you

Know who
And dare to become who
You want to be

Poem 5695
Amsterdam, 2025-10-20
Angel (Wanda Bommer) - 2009
Novel "Engel", chapter 3, paragraph 27 and 40 (forward button [Angélica/Engel 1982-1990])
Collection: The climbing house
Tribute to: Bommer, Wanda 
 

Reading you aloud

is nice, and afterwards we --


can talk about it.


Voorlezen is fijn,Vorlesen ist schön,
en daarna kunnen we er --und anschließend können wir --

over napraten.darüber reden.

Poem H5911
Amsterdam, 2025-08-31
Diary 1974-1976 (Frida Vogels) - 2013
"Dagboek 1974-1976" - September 26th, 1974, Lucera
Collection: Overwritten
Tribute to: Vogels, Frida 
 

We like it with you,

not sitting at home alone --


just the two of us.


We zijn bij jullie,Wir sind gern bei euch,
anders zitten we alleen --denn sonst wären wir allein --

maar met zijn tweeën.nur miteinander.

Poem S2594
Amsterdam, 2025-03-13
Body & Look (Willem Jan Otten) - 1986
Theatre play "Lichaam & Blik", 1st scene
Collection: Shelter
Tribute to: Otten, Willem Jan 
 

Listlessly I push

myself on the campsite fence --


back and forth again.


Lusteloos duw ikLustlos schiebe ich
mezelf op het campinghek --mich auf dem Zaun der Weide --

heen en weer terug.hin und wieder her.

Poem H4934
De Koog, 2024-09-25
Crying shame (Renate Dorrestein) - 1996
Novel "Verborgen gebreken", part 1, chapter 3
Collection: Lack
Tribute to: Dorrestein, Renate 
 

I am wide awake,

I know, shall I get up then --


and be bored today?


Ik ben klaarwakker,Ich weiß, ich bin hell-
ik weet het, zal ik opstaan --wach, werde ich aufstehen --

en me vervelen?und mich langweilen?

Poem S2112
Amsterdam, 2024-02-03
Occam ocean (Éliane Radigue) - 2015
Personal transmission-composition for orchestra, performed in the Organpark on February 3rd, 2024, by ensemble ONCEIM (L'Orchestre de Nouvelles Créations, Expérimentations, et Improvisations Musicales) and others - @wind section, @percussion
Collection: org ANP ark 
Composer: Radigue, Éliane 
 

Our village: a hole.

So we had to try ourselves --


to fill it a bit.


Ons dorp was een gat,Unser Dorf: ein Loch.
we moesten zelf proberen --Wir mussten selbst versuchen --

om het te vullen.es aufzufüllen.

Poem H4080
Amsterdam, 2023-08-26
The Women's Handbag (Freek de Jonge) - 1986
Performance "Het Damestasje"
Collection: VacantVoid
Tribute to: De Jonge, Freek 
 

Right, nothing happened

today: tonight, I am free --


from my diary.


Er is niets gebeurdHeute ist gar nichts
vandaag: een vrije avond --passiert: ein freier Abend --

Mijn dagboek blijft dicht.Mal kein Tagebuch.

Poem S1696
Amsterdam, 2023-03-05
The Office - And melancholy, too (Han Voskuil) - 1999
Novel "Het Bureau - En ook weemoedigheid"
Page 409, Frans Veen, Maarten and Nicolien Koning (1981)

Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

I have to go out,

I'm tired of watching myself --


I'm tired of myself.


Ik moet echt eens ietsIch muss raus, etwas
gaan doen, ik ben op mezelf --tun, nicht immer nur ich selbst --

wel uitgekeken.mich selbst betrachten.

Poem S1694
Amsterdam, 2023-03-03
The Office - And melancholy, too (Han Voskuil) - 1999
Novel "Het Bureau - En ook weemoedigheid"
Page 339, Frans Veen, Maarten and Nicolien Koning (1980)

Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

In times when you're bored,

you just don't know what to do --


with your vague desires.


Als je je verveelt,Wer sich langweilt, weiß
weet je niet wat je moet doen --mit seinen vagen Wünschen --

met je verlangens.nichts anzufangen.

Poem H3696
Amsterdam, 2023-02-01
Edith Wengler (Jens Christian Grøndahl) - 2020
In reference to the story "Edith Wengler": "Boredom is just another word for desire."
Collection: Greeting from before
Tribute to: Grøndahl, Jens Christian 
 

Calm before the storm

of my creativity:


I am very bored!


Stilte voor de stormRuhe vor dem Sturm
van mijn creativiteit:meiner Kreativität:

ik verveel me zo!mir ist langweilig!

Poem H3624
Amsterdam, 2022-12-28
The Gay Science (Friedrich Nietzsche) - 1882
"Für den Denker und für alle erfindsamen Geister ist Langeweile jene unangenehme 'Windstille' der Seele, welche der glücklichen Fahrt und den lustigen Winden vorangeht" ("To the thinker, and to all inventive minds, boredom is that disagreeable 'calm' of the soul which precedes happy voyages and merry winds"), 1882, Friedrich Nietzsche, in: "Die fröhliche Wissenschaft" ("The Gay Science")
Collection: Actively Passive
Tribute to: Nietzsche, Friedrich 
 

Being bored deeply

is a vague experience --


of all that exists.


Diepe vervelingDie Langeweile
is een vage ervaring --ist die vage Erfahrung --

van alles wat is.von allem, was ist.

Poem H3625
Amsterdam, 2022-12-28
What is metaphysics? (Martin Heidegger) - 1929
"Die Langeweile offenbare das Seiende im Ganzen" ("Boredom reveals entities in the whole"), in: "Was ist Metaphysik?"
Collection: Unseen
Tribute to: Heidegger, Martin 
 

At parties I try

to leave soon, always longing --


for festivity!


Op feesten wil ikAuf Feste will ich
gauw weg, altijd verlangend --schnell weg, immer sehne ich --

naar feestelijkheid!mich nach Festlichkeit!

Poem S1611
Amsterdam, 2022-12-20
The return of the new year (Eva Meijer) - 2022
Column "De terugkeer van het nieuwe jaar" (in NRC on December 20, 2022)
Collection: On the fly
Tribute to: Meijer, Eva 
 

I do read a lot

of life stories, never dull --


like my little life.


Ik lees veel levens-Ich lese viele
verhalen, en nooit saaie --Lebensgeschichten, nie lang-

zoals mijn leven.weilig wie meine.

Poem H3268
Amsterdam, 2022-04-10
Monterosso mon amour (Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer) - 2022
Novella
Collection: Palace of the night
Tribute to: Pfeijffer, Ilja Leonard 
 

Again, another

day has passed, again it is --


time to feed myself.


Weer een dag voorbij,Schon wieder ein Tag
weer is het tijd om mezelf --vorbei, wieder ist es Zeit --

eten te geven.mich zu ernähren.

Poem S1315
Amsterdam, 2022-01-14
An accidental man (Iris Murdoch) - 1971
Novel
Collection: Dreams of love
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris 
 

We eat on the train

and write on the window panes --


greasy signs of life.


Etend in de trein,Wir essen im Zug
schrijven we op de ruiten --und schreiben auf den Fenstern --

tekens van leven.Zeichen des Lebens.

Poem S1307
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann) - 2017
Novel "Außer sich", chapter '36 hours'
Collection: Tightrope walk
Tribute to: Salzmann, Marianna 
 

Being bored, dreaming

of freedom, of emotions --


and banging gunshots.


Verveling, dromenLangeweile, von
van vrijheid, van emoties --Freiheit, von Emotionen --

en pistoolschoten.und Schüssen träumen.

Poem S1225
Overberg, 2021-09-04
The Italian Girl (Iris Murdoch) - 1964
Novel
Collection: After the festivities
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris 
 

How much winter dull

does it take to make you show --


your colours again?


Hoeveel wintersaaiWieviel Winteröd
heb je nodig om weer kleur --brauchst du um deine Farbe --

te gaan bekennen?wieder zu zeigen?

Poem H2966
Amsterdam, 2021-05-29
Spring (Nyk de Vries) - 2021
Poem "Maitiid"
Collection: After the festivities
Tribute to: De Vries, Nyk 
 

Zywa Jeroen Bosch

Another boring day
Everything is what it seems
without fantasies

I'm not like professor T
who makes Jeroen Bosch paint
what is going on:

everything embodied
as what it is and therefore
transparent

The city is large, but small
is my view, as if
we live far away from each other

in spaceships, built-up
areas as small as hamlets
where the truth is close

but all the harder
to be seen, to be tested, and to be said
There is no way out

I can't escape
only dream without running
into danger in the outside world

Poem 3690
Amsterdam, 2021-04-15
Covid-19 Lockdown
Police series "Professor T" (2015-2018) with Koen de Bouw as Jasper Teerlinck

Collection: BloodTrunk 
Tribute to: De Bouw, Koen 
 

From children, you can

never tell that they will be --


boring as adults.


Aan een kind kun jeVon Kindern sieht man
nooit zien dat het saai zal zijn --nie ihre Langeweile --

als volwassene.als Erwachsener.

Poem S1049
Amsterdam, 2020-08-12
Oh, is he a pilot? (Nicolien Mizee) - 2020
Column "O, is hij piloot?" (in the nrc.next of August 12th, 2020)
Collection: In the light
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

I'm the first to leave,

because I'm a spectator --


of repetitions.


Ik ga als eerste,Ich gehe zuerst,
want ik ben een toeschouwer --weil ich ein Zuschauer bin --

van herhalingen.der Wiederholung.

Poem S0863
Amsterdam, 2019-04-24
The introduction - Faxing to Ger #1 (Nicolien Mizee) - 2017
Diary-novel "De kennismaking - Faxen aan Ger"
Collection: In the shadow
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

If life is boring

I want action, so I just --


start casting problems.


Als ik me verveelBei Langeweile
zin ik op actie: ik werp --greif ich ein und werfe ein --

wat problemen op.paar Probleme vor.

Poem S0850
Amsterdam, 2019-03-09
Thoughts (Blaise Pascal) - 1669
"Pensées"
GREEK Problema = what is cast forward (before your feet)

Collection: Wean Di
Tribute to: Pascal, Blaise 
 

I still remember

the playground and the woodlane --


Boring afternoons.


Ik herinner meIch erinnere
de speeltuin en de boslaan --mich an den Feld und den Wald --

Saaie middagen.Die Langeweile.

Poem H1959
Amsterdam, 2018-01-03
Collection: Silent walk
 

Zywa Loiter days

Brunch with colleagues
Work is for later
One has to do so much

     has to live slowly
     with slow thoughts
     in soporific time

Anyway to bed on time
Not he, he stays up
The screen keeps him

     I turn around again and look
     ahead of me into the dark
     What was that quarrel?

Patience, a lot of patience
also with myself, dreaming
that I toil through sucking silt

     Inside the pillow hammers
     the breath of underwater animals
     I am lonely here

Poem 1637
Amsterdam, 2017-12-11
Collection: Pending rain
 

Zywa No news

Outside the village is the bridge
without a road, at the cemetery
Occasionally townspeople sit there
painting it
Sometimes children play there

To me, it is an image
of life and this morning
I came across a woman there
She lay on the abutment
and was scared, did not dare

to come with me, because of me
she lost her no man's land
For the rest, little happens here
There's never any news
and that is official

Poem 1418
Amsterdam, 2017-06-18
Collection: Greeting from before
 

I lie awake and

it's boring to think, I am --


comfortable here!


Ik ben wakker enIch bin wach, es ist
het is saai om te denken --langweilig zu denken, ich --

wat lig ik lekker!liege hier bequem!

Poem H1499
Amsterdam, 2016-09-27
Collection: More
 

Another same day,

I search familiar details --


for a difference.


Weer eenzelfde dag,Noch ein gleicher Tag,
bekende details zoek ik --ich suche die Details ab --

af op een verschil.nach Unterschieden.

Poem H1496
Amsterdam, 2016-09-24
Collection: Silent walk
 

In the waiting room

there is only one sound: I --


fiddle with my zip.


In de wachtkamerIm Wartezimmer
is er maar één geluid: ik --gibt's nur éin Geräusch:,/b> fummeln --

frunnik aan mijn rits.mit dem Reißverschluss.

Poem H1300
Amsterdam, 2015-08-18
Everything is jolting and nothing is as it should be (Delphine Lecompte) - 2012
Poem "Alles hort en niets is zoals het hoort" (collection "Blinde gedichten")
Collection: VacantVoid
Tribute to: Lecompte, Delphine 
 

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